Lord Cameron has been accused of “panda hugging” with China by a prominent candidate for the position of national security advisor to Donald Trump.
The candidate also stated his preference for working with Labour over the Conservatives.
Former US Defense Department employee Elbridge Colby, a member of Trump’s first cabinet, echoed these criticisms, saying that the prime minister had engaged in “lecturing” the American people and in “foreign interference” in their democratic system about financing for Ukraine.
While Sir Keir Starmer continues to court Trump loyalists, Mr. Colby—who served in the US defense department throughout Trump’s presidency—met with shadow foreign secretary David Lammy.
Despite widespread criticism from Republican lawmakers, Trump’s ally has voiced his disapproval of the $61 billion assistance package that the US Congress passed last month.
Lord Cameron and the UK government greenlit the fund, and just before the vote, the foreign secretary visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and Congress. Mr. Colby reportedly said these travels constituted an extraordinary intervention into the American system, hinting at potential foreign meddling.
Also, Mr. Colby said that David Lammy is far preferable to David Cameron in light of the impending UK general election and the potential rise of the Labour party to power. The speaker said that Mr. Lammy is laying out a more compatible vision to what people like him are discussing, which involves increasing defense expenditure and directing the UK’s attention towards Europe.
Since being appointed shadow foreign secretary in 2021, he has made six trips to the United States.
Mr. Colby also criticized the prime minister over defense expenditures, which he characterized as “fake accounting trickery” in light of his recent promise to reduce the budget deficit to 2.5% of GDP.
According to Colby, thwarting any potential threat from Beijing is a more pressing concern for this Trump movement faction than reinforcing support for the conflict in Ukraine.
That should send chills down the spines of those in charge in Kyiv and warn the Europeans that a Trump administration would want more military independence and the means to pay for it.
